Dr Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said the true figure could already be double that amount.

“The World Health Organisation said yesterday that about half of all deaths in Europe are occurring in residence of elderly care homes,” he said.

“We know for a fact the figures reported every day are an underestimate, possibly a significant underestimate of the total number of deaths.”

The UK is well on track to hit 30,000 deaths in hospital, perhaps even 40,000 before the pandemic is brought under control, he said.

“We are undoubtedly going to have one of the highest death rates in Europe,” Dr Hunter added.

The latest figures are likely to lead to renewed questions as to whether Boris Johnson was too slow to order the lockdown – allowing sporting fixtures like the Cheltenham horse racing festival and the Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid match to go ahead.

At the same time, ministers are coming under increasing pressure from senior Conservatives to explain how they intend to start easing the restrictions amid growing dismay at the economic damage the lockdown is causing.

With the Prime Minister expected to return to Downing Street after recuperating from the virus, former chancellor Philip Hammond said he hoped his reappearance would mark a “step change” in the Government’s approach.

“The reality is that we have to start reopening the economy. But we have to do it living with Covid,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

“We can’t wait until a vaccine is developed, produced in sufficient quantity and rolled out across the population. The economy won’t survive that long.”

Ms Patel acknowledged the sense of public frustration after five weeks staying at home, but said it was still too soon to begin easing up.

“We know that people are frustrated but we are not out of danger yet, it is imperative that people continue to follow the rules designed to protect their families, their friends and their loved ones,” she said.

“This will continue to save lives.”

However, she said that the regulations did allow people to go to work if they could maintain social distancing and were unable to work from home.

After Prof Powis expressed concern that the number of motor journeys people were making was beginning to rise, she said the police had “enforcement” powers if the rules were ignored.